SanDisk launch paper clip-sized Cruzer Blade USB drive

If you’re in the market for a new USB flash drive, and want something small enough to clip on a key-chain, then SanDisk might have the perfect solution. It’s called the Cruzer Blade USB, and SanDisk claim it’s the smallest USB flash drive in North America.

This drive is tiny. It’s roughly the same size as a paper clip, and weighs the same as a penny. Not only does that make it easy to carry around, you’ll have to be careful not to lose it either.

Kent Perry, director, retail product marketing, at SanDisk said:

At half the size of some other USB drives, our compact Cruzer Blade provides consumers with highly portable storage at a great value. The drive lets users transfer their digital data quickly between computers, and delivers a storage boost to devices such as netbooks that often need additional memory but are difficult to upgrade easily.

Such a small size does not mean limited storage. Four versions of the Cruzer Blade are available offering 2, 4, 8 and 16GB options. Pricing is as follows:

I think these must be a re-release of the Cruzer Blade line as Amazon has a range of drives listed using the same name, but that were first made available in December last year. They also look much larger than a paper clip. For some reason SanDisk aren’t supplying the actual dimensions of the drive. Instead just referring to a paper clip and a penny for reference. Very strange.

If these are an update, SanDisk should have used a new name, or at least added “micro” to the end. Otherwise these new drives look to be tiny enough for you just to forget they are on your key-chain. The weight is such that you probably wouldn’t even notice it dropped in a pocket.

The prices are quite high, but that’s what you’d expect for a new super small drive. I think the 8GB is probably the best to get if you can find a retailer that sells it closer to the $30 mark.